2020 4runner shifting issues

So I didn’t even have my 4Runner a week less than 600 miles on it when it would randomly start downshifting extremely hard to the point of a nose dive upon stopping.... couple days later finally get it over to my local dealer and of course it works like a dream so fast forward 4 days it acts up majorly I get it to the dealership and they have now had it 5 days.... anyone having issues in the 2020? No lights on, no codes to be ran nothing the service manager is just as shocked as me!

 

You drive with (2) feet? Just asking don't be offended.

Also what are you doing when it downshifts? Coasting? Accelerating? Up Hill ? Downhill?

 

Are you in 'D', or in the mode to the left of 'D'... sport shift or whatever mode they call it? If you're in 'sport' and you have a habit of hanging your fat ol' mitt on the shifter, you can accidentally whack it down a gear or two. Also, depending on how the ECU learns your driving techniques, it is possible to move from 'D' to 'sport' and have it drop directly into 3rd (not 4th as you'd think it should).

^ Kind of a random thought, but actual transmission issues are super rare in this thing. Failing user error, it's definitely one for a warranty claim.

 

I don’t drive with 2 feet, also it does it randomly and not in sport mode. I previously had a Jeep Wrangler so I know all about the auto/manual shift. The first time it happened it was with the cruise on and it is like the computer couldn’t make up its mind to downshift or speed up going uphill but then I did not even have the cruise on and just let off the gas to take a curve and it would nose dive to downshift...but the hard shift continues once it starts acting up until the car is shut off for at least 10-15 minutes... definitely warranty work happening now

 

Do you have the radar sensor for cruise control? My 2020 Venture has this feature and when you close the gap to the car in front of you while the cruise control is on, it will decelerate - and abruptly if you are closing in quickly. I like it on a relatively quiet highways, but in traffic, it will put you into the dash when someone cuts in front of you.
you can bypass this by pressing the "on" button 3 times (owners manual). You can tell if you have this by looking at the grill, there will be a rectangular area that looks like a dark tinted window below the emblem or in the lower area of the grill.
You likely have lane departure that beeps when you move out of your lane without using the turn signal.

 

I do have this feature and bypass it frequently but I was on open road when it happened. Also It does this same thing even when you don’t have cruise set. I am think it is a computer issue not so much an actual transmission issue

 

OK - that's weird. I would take it in. could be unsafe. Don't drink hot coffee while driving until you resolve it.
Please post any resolve once you get there.

 

could it be the down hill assist down shifting/malfunctioning? I have an 18 and going down hills it sometimes does this to the point where the nose drops and pushes me forward as its gearing down as I am going down hill to keep it from speeding up. Maybe your sensors are dirty,

 

We cleaned the front sensor thinking it had to do with the brake assist features and it happens at random now but the dealerships services department has now had my 4Runner for 6 days and is unable to figure what is wrong..... I have only owned the vehicle 2 weeks

 

Got the 2020 TRD ORP and have put close to 3k on it so far and haven't had any issues. Did notice the sudden and abrupt deceleration with the cruise control engaged and a sudden lane changer throwing my 4R into a quick deceleration. That in itself was a bit unnerving along with the unexpected braking force that was applied, not to mention the sudden fear of someone else plowing into my rear end because of me suddenly slowing down. Concept is good but the rapid deceleration is going to cause someone to get rear ended especially at highway speeds. Good to know it can be bypassed; I should read up on it.

 

I’ve noticed something weird and could be related. (Disclaimer I’m in Az where it’s ridiculously hot and sunny so that could be the issue) When driving into the direct sunlight, east in AM/ west in PM I’ve noticed the collision avoidance and lane departure idiot lights are on in orange, meaning they are not working. If I turn north/south after about a minute they go away. I have not yet taken it in or dug into the manual but logic suggests the heat or direct sun has a negative effect on the camera that controls these features. Perhaps yours is malfunctioning a step further than mine and actually activating?

 

2020 ORP here. Ive got 800 miles so far. I did come from.a BMW but the harshness of reapplying throttle after coasting is quite noticeable. As is the delay from R to D (i come to a full stop) is excessive for sure; at least a full second from throwing it into drive and it actually engaging... its Jerry. I assume its normal. I have noticed downshifting but only on downhill grades which is absolutely normal, especially if you tap the brake.

 

I'm curious what's up with LPJohn's 4r. I have 3k miles and I drive a lot of rental cars for work, each manufacturer has its quirky differences. But the random nature of abrupt deceleration is concerning. I like to be able to not wear my coffee.

 

Well the dealerships has been unable to recreate what I took it in for even after they drove while acting up but the computer has no stored codes, no dash lights on no bad sensors at this point they are clueless as to what is hay with my 4Runner ‍♀️ I am extremely frustrated as now i will get it back and have to take it back over when it starts again which was every other day when I had it for 9 days prior to them having it now for 6... I have only owned the vehicle 16 days

 

Just a thought OP, when I was driving on the highway the other day, and I had the vehicle on cruise control... the traffic was getting slow and there was a car in front of me, but I anticipated traffic to get back to speed so I stepped on the gas... I noticed the vehicle was hesitating and was downshifting... so I stepped on the gas again.. it did the same.. it was downshifting and having a little nose dive. I immediately cancelled cruise control and it went back to normal. This is not the case on my wife's Rav4... then I tried to replicate it the following day ... and yes it was the cruise control not agreeing with me.. damn computer!

 

The only problem is when it starts downshifting hard it doesn’t stop until the vehicle is shut off for a extended time. You can not only feel the shift you can hear the load clunk noise and also feels like something is about to drop from under the 4Runner so it is a HUGE problem that unfortunately I will have to keep taking back until the right technician is there to asses the problem... I have multiple videos of the vehicle acting up in which you hear the shifting and see the jerking of the front the car...... just a lot of inconvenience to get the vehicle back and forth to the dealership for them to not know what is going on

 

Coming from a BMW guy (traded X5 for the runner) trust me i know the pain of dealerships saying "operating as designed" BS. You do have a couple of options.

1. Call the BBB.

2. Get a second and third opinion from a non toyota independent shop and contact a lawyer (id start by letting the toyota service manager and GM you're doing this.) Keep receipts! There is a class action in BMW diesels, the epa says they must fix any exhaust issue up to 120k miles. If you get it fixed elsewhere bmw will pay you back with a receipt.

3. Not sure if you mentioned it but im not sure where you're from but have you tried a bigger/more reputable dealer?

4. Check the lemon law for your state, you do have rights.

It sounds stressful I really hope you get this fixed and happily on your way. Call me crazy but it sounds like the factory done forgot to put transmission fluid in it...

 

The service manager even told me when he drove it that he has never seen a Toyota act like that and he was shocked at what was going on with it but they have drove it 7 days now and have not been able to get it to happen again. I live in Oklahoma about 10 minutes from Texas and my closest dealer is 20 min away in Texas the sales was not much help in finding the 4Runner for me as I was dead set on the blacked out Barcelona red 4Runner sr5 premium with 3 row which turned into a 3 week search. I previously have owned 2 Jeep Wranglers so this was a huge thing for me to find something similar to my Jeep but give me a 3rd row and some that is a little easier to handle in heavy traffic as my daughter plays travel softball all over the metro of Dallas and the Jeep was lifted etc etc so I wanted something more family friendly...... this is making me regret my decision thus far

 

Sorry to hear about your experience - and I agree that it is very unusual for a Toyota, especially 4Runner. I will say that your transmission is still learning. It could’ve been something off in the programming. See how it behaves in the coming miles and I would not be surprised if it does not happen again. It also helps if you are consistent in your driving habits/style while the transmission is mapping out the shift patterns.

 

Normally I don't buy the whole, "I've driven a Toyota X years but never seen that happen." However, strangely, in this case, I really mean that. I mean I've driven then off and on for 20 years and what you are describing makes me think something is straight up defective on your 4Runner because these transmissions are absolutely bulletproof. I think someone above mentioned an electronics issue, and that seems possible (like it's triggering when it shouldn't).

Keep in mind I like my Toyotas but I'm not a fanboy, machines can have issues, but no one wants to have issues with a brand new one. If they can't figure it out, I'd push for an exchange. I can't see how two of them would have that issue, I have probably 10 + 4Runners in our group, some 300,000+ miles 3rd Gens, a few 150,000 + 5th gens, combined easily over a million (maybe two million miles), not a single trans failure. One engine failure, that was due to him driving through a deep water and hydrolocking like an idiot.

All I'm saying is that you probably bought the 4Runner for reliability and feel a bit betrayed. You hit the 2020 Covid lottery of unlucky, cause it's extraordinarily rare for this sort of thing to happen. You may struggle to have confidence in their "fix" as well, but do know if you get this resolved I'd still drive your "repaired" 4Runner over a new BMW in terms of reliability, any day.

Please keep us updated, I'd like to know the resolution to this.

 

Escalate the problem to corporate.

 

Read up and be familiar with the Lemon Law in your state. Sounds like you might need it.

 

I started looking at the Lemon for oklahoma I have to take it in to the dealer or warranty service center 4 times is what is considered reasonable lol but they were suppose to call me today to pick it up if they could not get it to trigger the hard shift but I never received a call...... all I can do it hope it acts up for the right service tech so something can be addressed

 

so the owners manual talks about not using cruise control for the first 1000 miles I believe.

 

I've experienced that sensation with my 2019.
I blame it on the traction control kicking in after sensing some irregularity in the road. I'll either let it do it's thing or apply more gas to power through it.

RE the nose diving - a suspension lift like a Eibach Pro Truck Lift greatly reduces / almost eliminates it. The stock suspension is very soft for a 5000 lb vehicle.

Note there is a break in period for the 4Runner.

 

I was in traffic yesterday and tried to play with the distance setting using the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control. I kept my foot over the accelerator to power through the deceleration to give it some encouragement not to slow so abruptly when a another driver would cut in close. It did help a lot. I have 3500 miles on mine.

Side Note - The sensor in the grill needs to be aligned to sense traffic in front of you - if that is off, it could be picking incorrect targets to respond to.......it's a radar target acquisition device. I read this regarding another manufacture dealing with an accident. The sensor wasn't aligned correctly and either didn't work properly or acted weird.
Dealer should replace the module and the sensor to eliminate causes.

It will be interesting to see what dealer comes up with for you.

 

I am surprised they didn't at least do a computer flash to see if that would help.

 

My opinion on break in periods.

1. Unless you're lucky and pick up a new one off the truck its going to have 50ish miles on it. I can only imagine how hard those 50 miles are considering they're test drive miles with people whom have no intention of buying it.

2. Maybe cars in the 70s and 80s needed break in but 2020? Especially an ancient design toyota 4.0 non turbo? Meh...

3. I seriously doubt using cruise during the first 1000 miles or towing smaller loads is no problem at all. Certainly not to the point of severe damage thst the OP is speaking of.

4. There was another thread about break in periods. People have taken their runner from the lot to the boat launch immediately, or picking it up out if state and driving it home. Example: I live over 2 hours from the dealership and had zero concerns with using cruise. I was towing a 4wheeler and dirtbike at 380 miles (1800lbs including the trailer). Im.at 1200 miles no and no worries. I actually was at a boat ramp this past weekend and got stuck in 2wd. 4WD got me right out obviously but I had zero concerns about spinning tires or off roading at geese low miles either. There actually an argument that if you plan on towing frequently you should tow (light loads) during break in. Full size truck manuals actually mention this, especially diesels.

 

Ok I have now made two trips to the dealership with the same issue but it is the 15 time it has acted up..... they have now down loaded the database and sent it to Toyota as no codes no data is being stored the tech here is thinking faulty transmission but is waiting on Toyota to make the call. I am not far (Just over an hour) from a Toyota Headquarters (Plano,Tx) and my servicemen are telling me yes they are having trouble recreating the problem so it could be transmission, computer relay to transmission or anything between the two so now it is a waiting game on how Toyota wants to fix it but it is throwing a lot of operational codes that are “miss fires” as my service manager has said I won the COVID lottery but guess what I just paid my first payment on the dang thing

 

My trans was replaced too. By the previous/original owner. Not sure at what mileage, I wonder if there’s a way to find out all the dealership work that’s been done to my ride?